Van Horn climate

Van Horn Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Van Horn, 0.6 km from Van Horn, elevation 4065 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Van Horn. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around March 21 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 234 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 21, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 21

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 24Apr 17Apr 13Apr 8Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25Mar 18
32°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 31Mar 25Mar 21Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 2
28°FMar 23Mar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 21Feb 14
24°FMar 9Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 17Feb 13Feb 8Feb 3Jan 25
20°FFeb 25Feb 17Feb 10Feb 4Jan 30Jan 23Jan 15Jan 6Dec 26
16°FFeb 14Feb 4Jan 28Jan 21Jan 12Jan 5Dec 31Dec 24Dec 14

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 18Oct 23Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 14
32°FOct 27Oct 31Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 14Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24
28°FNov 4Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4
24°FNov 15Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 8Dec 13Dec 19
20°FNov 26Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 28Jan 3Jan 13
16°FDec 6Dec 13Dec 21Dec 26Dec 31Jan 4Jan 11Jan 24Feb 2

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F230223217212208204200194186
32°F256250243239234229223218208
28°F285276270265260255251245236
24°F314305298292287281276268259
20°F356345337331323316309301288
16°F365365365365363356346338324

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
95% of years
16°F or colder
56% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
2,584
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,040
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,694
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,041
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,530
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,194
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,031

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January634025
February448074
March2859224
April10758406
May22237681
June0464913
July0484949
August0450914
September11258698
October10076450
November3584159
December618037

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 0.6 km from Van Horn. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00419295 (Van Horn). Public domain.